I recently ran into a friend I haven’t seen for years. We always had similar interests in serving leadership. We started talking about COVID-19. He wondered how our Amish communities are being impacted by the disease? Many of these people follow the serving leader’s path in their communities.

He is from India. He travels the world on a regular basis. He always stretches my thinking on both spiritual matters, psychology, and advanced technologies. A wonderful, if not rare, combination.

When the Dalai Lama came to Michigan, he made sure my wife and I got tickets to the event. He sent his wife and he stayed home with his children.

I later sent him a copy of The Leader’s Way by the Dalia Lama and Laurens Van Den Muyzenberg to thank him for his kindness. What do you send a person who made sure you got to interact with one of the most fascinating leaders of our time?

It’s many years since I read the book but, like many great books, this one stands the test of time. The current COVID-19 crisis is challenging many people to their core. It’s not only about financial matters, it also asks us how we will lead in an interconnected world. It might be helpful to remind us why we’ve chosen the serving leader’s path.

Over the past several weeks I’ve been writing a number of articles for leaders and entrepreneurs on COVID-19. I shared on Can Emotional Intelligence Help Leaders Deal With COVID-19?

During times of crisis, my entrepreneurial friends tend to refocus inward before starting to consider what the best course of action is for their business and their many stakeholders. At least, this is what they tell me. I find for most they converge and there is little distance between their two paths.

The first section in The Leader’s Way focuses on leading yourself. For many serving leaders, this can be the most difficult part of our service-based lives. In times of crisis, we are pulled so many different ways. The more we learn about others’ situations, the more we are called to make a difference by helping others.  

The Dalai Lama believes that the foundation of leadership is taking the right view of what is happening. To me, that translates to having a strong understanding of mission, vision, and values. These elements provide us the foundation for our life’s journey.

Have you ever wondered what impact the people around you have on your life? How does the news we hear and see impact the way we see the world?  I’ll share that when we talk about the interconnected world.

Have you ever wondered if you are doing the right things? How do you know for sure? As serving leaders, we are pulled many directions. How do you go about making difficult decisions? I will share more on decision making in future blogs.

The serving leader’s path requires us to examine our lives and purpose on a regular basis. How strong are your beliefs when you are tested to the edge? Many of us will be tested as people.  We will be asked to help both family and friends to recover from this crisis.

True success in this world is about what you believe and do. What and who you stand for. This makes it easier to make the better decisions when you know what you believe. It also allows you to help others find their own paths. The good news is we don’t all have to follow the same path.

The Dalai Lama believes leading yourself requires managing your thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. Today’s Coronavirus can make us miss the bigger picture which is where many opportunities exist for future growth and service.

When I volunteered in a hospice, it took many weeks to understand that I only had control of my own mind. It didn’t come with an owner’s manual.

This was only after investing significant time in prayer, meditation, and deeper reflection. Even today when put in challenging situations, I use these same tools to keep me centered. They seem to be working overtime right now.

Next week’s blog will talk about leading your organization as a serving leader. I think you might be surprised by what I share.

I will share articles that you might find helpful as we travel along serving leader’s path together. This will lead us into Easter week. See you next week.